HOBOKEN, N.J. — Kiley M. Rode, a senior in Stevens Institute of Technology's Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering (CEOE) Department, has been awarded the prestigious and internationally-known SOM Engineering Fellowship. The fellowship is given by the SOM Foundation, which is affiliated with Skidmore, Owing and Merrill Corporation (SOMC), one of the best-known architectural/structural engineering firms in the world.
SOMC is renowned for its innovative and iconic structures, such as New York's Freedom Tower (under construction), the Sears and John Hancock Towers of Chicago, the Time-Warner Building of New York, and numerous other structures in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the projected tallest building in the world, the under-construction Burj Dubai Tower in the UAE. The mission of the SOM Foundation Fellowship is "to identify and nurture emerging talent by sponsoring prestigious awards to students of Architecture, Structural Engineering, Design and Urban Design."
"I am excited and extremely impressed at this wonderful news. Kiley's efforts and her talents contributed to this recognition, and for Stevens, this provides us with another avenue for national and international recognition. In particular, this is an occasion where a student is contributing to our pre-eminent status," said Dr. George P. Korfiatis, Stevens' Provost and University Vice President.
"In the last few years, the SOM Award has gone to students from universities such as MIT, Columbia, Princeton and Yale," he said. "I was told by the SOM Foundation that this year Kiley's entry was considered to be so impressive that she came out unequivocally at the top, in the jurors' judgment. At Stevens, we are extremely interested in supporting our students' efforts in creative endeavors such as this. I congratulate Kiley for all her efforts, drive and focus for a work that was beyond her requirements for an undergraduate degree."
The SOM Fellowship provides a scholarship of $10,000 for travel to Europe to study aesthetic structures. For this award, Rode's submission consisted of three parts. The first was her year-long independent work on Structural Function of Aesthetic Structures, which linked the aesthetic aspects of tall and extended structures, such as skyscrapers and suspension bridges, to the rigors of Structural Mechanics. The second was an essay, on her understanding of structures and her identification of a favorite structure. The final submission item was a meaningful study of ancient to modern European structures. Rode studied structures in Spain, Italy, France and England.
In addition to Rode's work toward the Fellowship award, she is currently working on another critical project for her senior design thesis. Her project explores the renovation of a national treasure, Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum of New York City. At her initiative, the museum, for the first time, has provided the original architectural drawings for educational purpose only (a legal contract was signed between the Guggenheim and Stevens last year). The structural engineering work associated with the renovation is of an extremely complicated nature, as there are many unresolved issues. To that end, Rode is actively involved with consulting firms in New York as part of her learning process. Rode is among the top students in the CEOE department in terms of academic performance. In addition, she is involved with numerous on-campus activities. She is the President of Architectural Club of Stevens, Vice President of Chi Epsilon and Stevens' Fashion and Technology Club. In 2005, she was the MVP of Women's Varsity Soccer team. She has numerous honors and scholarships to her credit, including the Edwin A. Stevens Scholarship, Moles Scholarship and one from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Because of her high academics standing in the department, Rode has also worked as a teaching assistant for courses such as Mechanics of Solids, Structural Engineering and Art of Structural Engineering.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value. Stevens offers baccalaureates, master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 1,850 undergraduate and 2,980 graduate students, and a worldwide online enrollment of 2,250, with a full-time faculty of 140. Stevens' graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu. For the latest news about Stevens, please visit www.StevensNewsService.com.